SYNGNATHID^E. 261 



Genus III — Nerophis, Bafinesque. 



Nematosoma, Eichwald : Scyphius, Risso : Entelurus, A. Dumeril : Acus, 

 (Willugh.) Swainson. 



Body rounded and the ridges when present very indistinct : the tail tapering to a 

 point without any or with a very rudimentary caudal fin. Dorsal fin of moderate 

 length placed opposite the vent: pectorals absent. Ova attached to the loose 

 integument of the abdomen in the males, and not covered by lateral cutaneoxis folds. 



Geographical distribution. — Coasts of Europe, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. 



M. de la Blanchere considers that these fish possess a peculiar smell or taste, 

 because if chopped up and given as food to aquarium fishes as turbot, gurnard, 

 (fee, should any chance bits be swallowed they are immediately rejected. But 

 they are very commonly found in the stomachs of marine fishes, rendering this 

 view somewhat problematical. 



1. Nerophis aequoreus, Plate CXLIV, fig. 4. 



Shorter pipe-fish, Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1776) iii, p. 140, pi. xxiii (Ed. 1812) 

 iii, p. 188, pi. xxvi. 



Syngnathus aequoreus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 417 ; Lacep. ii, p. 39 ; Mont. 

 Wern. Mem. i, p. 85, t. iv, f. 1 ; Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 66 ; Fleming, Brit. An. 

 p. 176; Jenyns, Man. p. 486; Yarrell, Brit. Fishes (ed. 1) ii, p. 335, c. fig. (ed. 

 2) ii, p. 442 (ed. 3) ii, p. 409 ; Fries, Vet. Akad. Handl. 1837, p. 35, and Wiegm. 

 Arch. 1838, p. 246, t. vi, f . 3 ; Parn. Werm. Mem. vii, p. 398 ; Kroyer, Danm. 

 Fiske, iii, p. 705 ; Thompson, Mag. N. H. 1839 (2) iii, p. 586 and Nat. Hist. 

 Ireland, iv, p. 240; Schlegel, Dieren Neder. p. 179, pi. xvii, f. 3; White, 

 Catal. p. 43. 



Syngnathus sibbaldi, Walb. Artedi, iii, p. 6. 



Syngnathus ophidion, Bonnaterre, Enc. Ich. p. 31, pi. xxi, f . 73 : Jenyns, Man. 

 p. 487 ; Parnell, Wern. Mem. vii, p. 390. 



Syngnathus anguineus, Jenyns, Brit. Vert. p. 30; Yarrell, Brit. Fish. (ed. 2), 

 ii, p. 445 (ed. 3) ii, p. 414. 



Scyphius aequoreus, Nilss. Skand. Faun. Fisk. p. 692. 



Acus azquoreus, Swainson, ii, p. 333. 



Nerophis cequoreus, Kaup, Lopho. pp. 65, 66 ; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 191 ; 

 Collett, Norges Fiske, p. 202; Winther, Prod. Dan. Mar. p. 53; Malm, Fauna, 

 p. 596. 



Nerophis anguineus, Kaup, 1. c. p. 65. 



Syngnathus brevicaudatus, T. Cornish, Zoologist, p. 3724 and 1879, p. 476. 



Entelurus cequoreus and anguineus, A. Dumeril, ii, pp. 605, 606 ; Moreau, Poiss. 

 de la France, ii, pp. 62, 63. 



Ocean pipe-fish and snake pipe-fish, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iv, pp. 356, 359, 

 pis. ccxl and ccxli. 



D. 37-44, C 6. Osseous rings, 28-31 + 56-61. 



Length of head 12| to 13, of head and body £ of the total length in the adult 

 as at 12£ inches long, while at 10 it is 4 - 3, 9'8 it is 4'2, 9 - 4 it is 4*1, at 8 - 9 it is 

 3"8, at 8'4 it is 3'6, at 8 - 2 it is 3"8, showing that the proportionate length of the 

 body to that of the tail increases with age. Eyes — diameter \ of the postorbital 

 portion of the head, 3^ in that of the snout, and ■§• of a diameter apart. Body 

 somewhat rounded, tapering posteriorly to a fine tail : the ridges very indistinct 

 until the fish is dry. Fins — the dorsal stands on 11 to 13 or 14 rings of which 9 

 or 10 belong to the trunk. Caudal mostly absent in large specimens, with 6 rays 

 in smaller ones. Vent opposite the posterior third of the dorsal fin. All the 

 shields smooth. Colours — olive, darkest along the back, and with narrow trans- 

 verse bluish bands having black edges which are continued along the entire 

 length of the body and a portion of the tail. Dorsal rays yellow. A purple stripe 

 from the eye along the side of the snout. The young are not so vividly coloured 

 as the adults. 



